The Trust is supporting Play Safe

Brentford FC Community Sports Trust is supporting Play Safe a new FA-led campaign which is raising awareness of the importance of safeguarding in football. 

Play Safe is being run in partnership with the NSPCC and has the full backing of the Premier League, EFL, Barclays FA Women’s Super League and the FA Women’s Championship. It’s also supported and being run across every other level of the game.

The main element of the Play Safe campaign is a series of short films which emphasise the importance of clubs such as ours having safeguarding embedded in all that we do. The films also explain to parents/carers and children themselves what to do if they feel unsafe or worried because nothing matters more than making sure football is safe for everyone, especially children and young people.

Martin Bradshaw our Schools Sports Provision manager and Designated Safeguarding Officer said “This is a fantastic campaign which really highlights the importance of safeguarding from a number of different aspects. The Trust is committed to ensuring that all participants feel safe and comfortable at all of our sessions.”

Among the key messages in each film are the importance of listening to children, as well as knowing how and who to speak to if concerns do arise.

“As a youth team coach myself, I will be working with my club to ensure we support the Play Safe messaging… I’m also pleased that the campaign has the support of the former footballers with lived experience of abuse in football, who are on our Survivor Support and Safeguarding Advisory Group,” said FA chief executive Mark Bullingham.

You can watch all the films and get full information via the Play Safe link.